Eric Rayment's 1000km round trip to Orange a small price to pay for a half-hour Gosling Creek Aged Care visit

At this stage, Mr Rayment is confident he has done everything in his power to make sure he can spend time with his father Ron Rayment, a resident of Gosling Creek Aged Care who is turning 85 this weekend.

But Mr Rayment thought he had done all he could the last time he made the trip from Grawin, a small opal-mining community about 75km west of Walgett, only to be told on arrival he could not enter the Orange aged care facility.

That was on December 16 when Gosling Creek was placed into lockdown after COVID-19 struck the facility.

Gosling Creek, like other Orange aged care facilities, is still in lockdown.

"I said to the lady you're kidding me, I've just travelled 500kms and I had an appointment at two o'clock to see him," Mr Rayment said.

"I said 'haven't you got a f...n phone'."

That was the beginning of frustrations for Mr Rayment, who said he has struggled to get information from Gosling Creek during he past two weeks and he was now concerned about his father's wellbeing.

Based on phone conversations he has had with his father, a resident of Gosling Creek for about three months, Mr Rayment believes he has been "locked in and drugged" for two weeks, a claim a spokesperson for Allity, Gosling Creek's parent company, says is "wrong."

"It's hard, his hearing's not that good so when you ring him he doesn't totally understand," Mr Rayment said.

"This time around, soon as COVID came along, it's all gibberish and most of the time he's asleep. He's not the same as what he was three weeks ago."

The spokesperson for Allity said while they couldn't comment on individual cases no resident is locked in their room, nor are they medically restrained.

"Any suggestion to the contrary is wrong," the spokesperson said.

"Every resident is visited by a member of our care staff every 30 minutes to ensure they are safe, and that their needs are met."

Mr Rayment is double vaccinated, has had a flu shot and is now waiting on the result of another PCR test before heading to Orange on Friday. He said he believed his father was also fully vaccinated.

"I rang Gosling Creek [on December 29] to see what was happening with the COVID. She said 'we're having a meeting this afternoon and I'll ring you this afternoon and let you know what's happening.

"I'm still waiting."

During that call, Mr Rayment said he was told he could spend 30 minutes with his father on his next visit.

"She said she put it in the book," he said.

"1000ks is a long way for 30 minutes but I'll be there. I figure even if it's half an hour that will give him a bit of sanity."

Mr Rayment believes Gosling Creek could do better.

"It's the lack of information. They're supposed to be running a business as it is, you've got to inform people what's going on," he said.

The spokesperson for Gosling Creek said the families of residents who have tested positive to COVID are receiving daily calls from dedicated care staff.

"Families of residents who have tested negative to COVID are contacted by email every two days or so to provide an update of the situation.

"These communications are sent to the nominated points of contact that families provide, and they are encouraged to share them with any other family members they deem appropriate."

The spokesperson for Allity said Gosling Creek Aged Care said it was following the NSW Government's mandatory Public Health Orders regarding COVID-19 outbreaks. As per these Public Health Orders, when COVID-positive cases are identified in an aged care community, all residents are asked to isolate in their rooms for their own safety.

"In addition to our usual processes and protocols for infection prevention and control, we have taken extra measures to protect the health and safety of our residents and employees.

"This includes all employees being required to wear N95 masks and shields/goggles at all times when working.

"We are continuing to provide education on infection control processes and procedures.

"In addition, we have brought in extra teams of carers experienced in outbreak management, who are well supported by the Orange COVID Care in the Community team of doctors and nurses.

"This means our residents are receiving the best possible care."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:

HAVE YOUR SAY

Send a letter to the editor using the form below